There have already been a few corporate tantalizations from Cadillac, relating to the upcoming Cadillac ATS's potential to kick BMW ass. They even teased its 'Ring time. Now, word from C-land is the company picked development engineers for their driving skill.

That certainly sounds promising. Of course, we've met a few automaker test drivers, and they're some of the hottest shoes around — even those working on less-than-hot-cars. How are these guys different? Cadillac says they were:

...handpicked based on their roles in developing other top Cadillacs – and how well they can drive and evaluate cars on grueling test tracks.

Most of the engineers on the team also developed Cadillac's CTS and V-Series high-performance models, and have the highest level of training as test drivers. Some are certified drivers on Germany's famed Nurburgring test track.

One of those certified drivers is ATS lead development engineer Chris Berube, who just happens to have been the lead development boffin for the Cadillac CTS-V. And we know how that whole thing turned out.

We'll get our first look at the ATS, for which we are now officially cautiously optimistic, early next year.